Law and Ethics: How Many of our Patients can Really Give Consent? &#8722; A Perspective on the Relevance of the Mental Capacity Act to Dentistry

Stuart Littlehales 13 Mar 2014 - I have no wish to comment on the authors, indeed I applaud their interest and enthusiasm for this knotty subject.I am however very disappointed and disturbed by the reviewers allowing it to be published.Any author has a perfect right to submit a paper whatever its standard. It is the responsibility of his peers to ensure it is of at least a certain correctness.This paper is so manifestly flawed. Inaccurate in fact and dangerous in content. The vaguely jocular, patronising and supercilious style and tone may suit one of the free dental magazines, but it is entirely inappropriate for dental update.This is a rare and exceptional occurrence and I hope it remains so.I would expect some king of retraction or apology for this error.I hope to rely on the information in dental update for that is its purpose.For the free magazines I accept caveat emptor. That is why they are free?The one star is for effort.